Automobile-signal.



3- C. BARFIELD.

AUTOMOBILE SIGNAL APPLICATION FILED MAR. 20. ISIII 1,277,175. mentaal Aug. 27, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

R. C. BARFIELD.

AUTOMOBILE SiGNAL.

APPucATxoN FILED MAR.20.1911.

1,2'3?, 175., Y Patentedlxug. 27, 1918.

2` SHEETS-SHEET 2.

" STATES irfAfl#El@ @Frm ROBERT o. BAnrmLnicrsALnivr, caisson,Y

AUTOMOBILE-sIGNAL. t

infirmes.

To allwhomz'tmay concern. v g 1 Be it-lrnown thatl, ROBERT G. BAnrrnLD, a citizen-ofthe United Statesresid ing at Salemin the county of Marion and State of Oregon, khave invented rcertain ynew and useful Improvements i in AutomobileSignals; andi dohereby declare the following` to be a kful-l, clear, and eXact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make .and use the saine. l

This invention relatesy to an l automobile signal and'has for one of its objects the prof "vision of a device of thischaracter,whereby the operator of the automobile ymay readily notify the traiiic in front` and rear of-,the automobile in which direction av-turn is contemplated or if a stop is contemplated.

Another object of this invention is the provision. of casings secured Ito the ,front and rear of theautoinobile and havingv semaphore arms theein veach carrying direction indicating characters and which are adapted to. be :moved s. into signaling position by the operator, when desiring tovnot-ify `the traflic in which direction aturn is contemplated. y Y A ,further object of4 this `invention is the provision of electrical means located l within the casing and operatively; connected with the semaphore armsV which are adapted `to swing thef semaphore arms into i signaling position' whenan electric circuit is completed tov said electricalvmeans by the'operator. c' Y f A further object ofy thisinvention is the provision of means forreturning the semaphore arms to non-signaling position.

A still further object ofthis invention is the provision of an automobile signal of the above stated character, which :shall'be simple, durable and ei'lcient and which may be manufactured and sold Vat .a `comparatively low cost. Y' *n TVV ith these and other objects vin view as will become more apparent as the'descrip- Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aun; 27', 1918 Application flied March 2o, i917. sensi no. 156,092.

F 6 is a diagrammatical v1ewillustrat- Ving the wiring diagram.

y Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral l indicates the rear portionV of an automobile and 2 represents the forward portion or the radiator.k In applying my vinvention to automobiles, a signal is secured to the Vfront and rear of the automobile, as illustrated in Figs. land 2, andeach are adapted to operate simultaneously or when a certain'signal is' given upon `the front of the automobile, a corresponding signalfwill fragmentary front elevation ofV be given Yat the rear thereof, wherebythe traffic in front and rear of the automobile will be notilied. As the signals locatedV on the front and4 rear 'of the automobile are identical in construction, 'it is thought that reference to one will be sufficient for both.V

A substantially rectangularcasing 3 `has a removable front wall 4 which is provided with a pluralityof openings l5. The casing 3 is dividedA into three compartments,` by transverse partitions `(i as clearly illustrated in Fig@ 4, Iand each compa-rtmentfis divided in apair of chambers; the numeral 7 representing a. motor chamber and thenumeral 8 representing a signal chamber. Each of the motor chambershas a-motor 9 mounted therein which has a shaft 10 which extends through the partitions 11 that form the motor and signal chambers and have their free ends disposed within the signal chambers.

Substantially V-shaped frames V12 having the arm portions constructed of channel iron as illustrated at Fig. 5, and their web portions formed by plates 13, which are provided with apertures to receive the ends of the shafts 10 of the motors 9 and are held thereon by set screws 141. Transparent plates 15 are slidable in the arm portions ofk i the framesan'd are held therein by end strips 16, which aresecured to the ends of the arm portions by suitable fasteners providing means whereby the platesv may be readily removed Whenever desired. The plates have applied thereto in any suitable manner, certain direction indicating characters, such as Right, Stop and-Left, as illustrated in Fig. 4. Coiled springs 17 are secured to the plates 13 forminga portion of the :frames 12 and are secured to the transverse partitions 6 for normally holding the frames ink substantially horizontal position. WV hen the frameshave the plates hearing the directiony indicating` characters applied thereto, they form efficient sema phore arms; when the semaphore arms are in av horizontal position, as illustrated in Fig. 4, they are hidden from view and occupy a position known as a non-signaling position. 'By closing electric circuits to the `motors 9, they will rotate said motors,

swinging the semaphore arms into a vertical position and a'position rearward of the openings 5, so that direction indicating characters thereon will be visible to the trafiic. The semaphore arms are limited in their upward movement by stops 18 secured to the partitions 11. Each `of thesignal chambers 8 have an electric lamp 19 mounted therein and adapted to be illuminated when the semaphore arms kare swung into signaling position or a vert-ical position in view through the openings of the casing 3, so that vthe device may be visible' at night time. ylifter the semaphore arms'hav'e been swung to 'a signaling position, 'they' arereturned to a non-signaling position or a horizontal position under the influence of the springs 17.

The motors mounted in the front casing orl the casing, which is secured to the front of the automobile, are electrically connected tothe corresponding motors in rthe rear casing or the' casing which is mounted upon the rearof the automobile, each by a separate circuit as illustrated in Fig. 5 andthe corresponding motors of each of the casings are adapted tovbe controlled by separate push buttons, which are rmounted upon the steering wheel or similar place of theautomobile. Each of the circuits consists of a conductor 20 connected to a ground 21 and to a battery 22. A conductor 23 is connected vto theV battery 22 and to the switch 24, which is one of the switches located upon the steering wheel or similar place. Connected to the switch 24 is a conductor 25, which is connected to one of the electric lamps 19, located in one of the signal chambers S of one of the casings and has` connected thereto a conductor 26, which 'isconnected to the corresponding motor 19.* `Connected to the motor 9 is a conductorf27, which is connected to the electric lamp '19 located lin the other casing and which is connected to a corresponding motor 9 by a-conductor 28. Connected toy the last mentioned motor 9 ris a conductor 30,v which is connected to the ground 31, Whereby upon closing the switch 24, an electric circuit is made to the electric lamps 19 and to motors for swinging the semaphore arms connected to the motor into signaling position in each of the casings simultaneously and for illuminating theelectric lamps 19. Y

What is claimed is:

An automobile signal comprising a casing having a plurality of compartments provided with openings in the front wall thereof, `motors in said casing, substantially U-shaped frames securedv to the shafts of the motors and constructed of channel iron, transparent panels carried bv VsaidV frames and each bearing-different direction characters, strips secured to the ends of the arm portions of the frames Vtor retaining the panels therein, springs connected to the web portions of the frames and to the'casing for normally holding said frames in an inoperative position, stops carried by said casing for engaging the frames when swung to signaling position to'aline the panels with the openings in the compartments, and means energizing` the motors.

VIn testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT C. BARFIELD. Witnesses: y. y l

AGNES C. BAYNE, v JOHN BAYNE.

lcopies ofthis patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Yatent, Washington,D.C. Y 

